Sherdog’s Top 10: Head Kick Knockouts

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3. Lyoto Machida vs. Randy Couture
UFC 129
April 30, 2011 | Toronto

The world knew Couture was going to retire at some point and he had been knocked out a few times already in his career, but few could have foreseen exactly how Machida was going to dispatch “The Natural” at Rogers Centre. Yes, many picked “The Dragon” to win and to do so via knockout, but no one could have guessed he was going to take “The Karate Kid” route to victory.

Couture competed well against the younger, quicker Machida, but he was out of his league. A minute into the second round, he was hunting for a chance to shoot in for either a clinch or a takedown. As had been his custom when pursuing such techniques, Couture spread his hands out to the sides of his head and left a gaping hole for a strike right down the middle. Machida saw the opening and exploited it, firing a perfectly timed jumping kick to the face. Couture hit the canvas, his hall-of-fame career at an end.

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